The Heart Shaped Door
by bassist-in-the-rain
Summary: Alice is a poor girl struggling to make a life with her brother, Jae. When a strange young man visits everyday at her bathhouse, she becomes curious and follows him...only to discover a new world of beauty. Inspired by Burton's Alice. Please enjoy
1. Chapter 1

The rain pattered on the roof as if the blurry stars decided to cry. I looked up, my hair sticking to the back of my neck. _Please stop crying, stars. Things will get better and mother moon will come to you again. _

"Come back in!" my brother called me. "It's cold out." I casted the stars a long glimpse of hope and walked back in, my neck slightly drenched. Jae raised an eyebrow at me and I shrugged a little. "You're going to stay sick if you keep doing this to yourself."

"Doing what?" I asked innocently. He rolled his eyes.

"Spending so much time in the rain without a coat. You're so silly sometimes! Seriously, though, be careful," he told me, draping my shoulders with a fleece blanket. I looked around our small apartment, drinking it in. It was only one room with a small, curtained room for the toilet. We had a stove and a sink with a mini refrigerator in one corner. We had one, sunken in couch- under it; we kept out clothes- and a black and white TV that you sometimes had to kick to make work. We had a short bookshelf and a matching coffee table. The small, front hall way to the door was cluttered with a bike and our shoes. Some of the wallpaper was sagging and falling off and the hardwood floor was dented.

"Jae?" I asked, watching him as he got the boiled water to make to tea.

"Huh?" he asked as he put a spoonful of honey in each cup.

"Do you think it's possible that…maybe one day…we could move back…to our old house and we can run the café again?" I asked, looking away as he handed me tea.

"Oh, Alice …I'm not sure about that," he sighed. "I just got a really good job over at the docks. It'll pay enough for rent without me having a second job."

"I see," I answered, drinking me tea quickly. We were silent, turning on the evening news. At eleven, we turned it off. I changed into some oversized shorts and a comfortable t-shirt. He gently brushed my hair and put it back in a long braid, it touching my waist. I lay on the couch, curling up with a blanket and he lay nearby, on a thin and slightly messed up futon.

"Sleep well, Minks, okay?" he whispered, his voice falling into the deep arms of sleep. Though my name was Alice, he called me Minks all the time. He said my hair was slightly bushy, but so shiny brown, he couldn't help but think of a mink.

"I'll try Jae. I love you," I sighed, feeling my own mind and body falling as well.

"Love you too."

I woke up, the sun not having come up yet. Jae was already up, brewing tea and chopping some fresh fruit. He was dressed for work: he just had on a wife beater and long pants with work boots on. He worked loading and unloading cargo from passing ships. I studied his face, still half in a daze. His lips were a soft pink and oval shaped. His eyes were harshly carved, pulled like two bows ready to shoot arrows, but the eyebrows that hung over the tar colored orbs makes him looks softer, more broken. His cheeks were two long plains and he was milky pale. No matter how much time he spent outside, he never burned and never tanned. I smiled to myself, thinking how much he looked like Mom.

"You're up! Good morning!" he cried cheerfully, throwing me a large smile that warmed up the room. "How did you dream?"

"Amazingly…I dreamed that I covered the world in light blue silk and the sky in a dark purple silk," I answered. His smile grew a little wider as he handed me a small dish with fresh peaches soaking in crème and some sweet tea. "I left the stars alone and they turned into lovely pearls."

"I'm jealous of your dreams," he answered, with a sigh. "I never remember mine."

"Sometimes, that's better," I told him, eating. We talked a while more over breakfast before I finally got out of bed and got dressed in the bathroom. We didn't have a shower, so we had to use the public bath down the street. The woman there knew us, so I had the part time job of working there and she cut us a deal every time we went. Today, that's where I would be working. I changed into my uniform. It was just a white dress that when to my knees, but that's all it consisted of. We walked out our apartment building, the day fresh after the rain. The sun was just peaking her head over the horizon, her lustrous golden curls spreading out through the land. Key walked me to the bathhouse and waved to Miss. Greene, who ran it. I walked inside and she handed me a pair of clean socks to wear and a fresh, bright pink orchid to put into my hair.

"What would you like me to do today?" I asked, smiling at her. She thought for a moment, tapping her finger to her cheek.

"Dear, I would like you to stay at the front. Please handle the money and hand the soaps and such to the customers. I'll be in the back, taking care of bills and taxes," she told me. I nodded happily and she put a touch of make up on. She softly lined my eyes in an ashy black liner and put a little bit of soft pink on my lips. I sat at the front, smelling the floral and clean steams coming from the women and men sides of the bath. The whole place was so serene, the floor fresh mats and the walls having the pattern of cranes, peacocks, and dogwood trees. The lamp light was yellow and soft, just the sound of the gentle fountain nearby. It was so peaceful here and when the flow of people slowed down at midday, I let my mind wander. Today was Monday, so this meant that many people came in the morning, sundown, and lunch time. But between was slow. I began to think of my parents. My mother and dad had been wonderful. When Key and I were young, we had been sent to school. I was always in art classes and he was always in violin lessons. Our parents ran a small café on the other side of town and it was quite popular. Coffees, sweet breads, small sandwiches, noodles, and desserts were sold. Jae always had an interest, so Mom taught him how to cook. Dad loved art and he taught me. Every other Saturday, we would always close the shop and spend it together. Life was lovely and nice until I turned fourteen and Jae turned nineteen. That was when the shop was robbed, but the thief wasn't satisfied taking all the money. He also took Mom and Dad's life. Jae and I didn't really have other family, so we moved into a cheap apartment and he got a job and so did I. He worked two full time jobs and I worked two part time jobs. School was forgotten about, as was art and violin lessons. Now it's three years later and I'm seventeen now. Time healed the pain of the deaths, but they are constantly there. Sometimes, the scars reopened and we felt heavy. On those days, we always went to their graves…

"Hello?" somebody's voice asked, dragging me out of my thought. I looked at the clock and it was noon. "Hello…" my eyes snapped up to the voice who was trying to get my attention. There stood a boy with a school uniform on, looking near my age.

"Sorry! Hi! Did you need any help?" I asked, putting on my smile.

"Yes, I just wanted a bath," he told me, his manner slightly uncomfortable. I nodded, still smiling.

"Of course! I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to fall asleep. Anyway, what's your favorite soap?" I asked, pointing to the shelf against the wall. "Just choose it and tell me when you're ready." He gave me a soft nod and walked over, looking at all the little bottles. I looked at his face, studying it. He was really handsome, his hair dark black and jaggedly falling across his face. His cheeks were very puffy and his eyes were sweet looking, the color nearly honey. He was milkier than Jae, but somehow he glowed in the most peculiar manner. He was wearing a trench coat over his uniform, though it was warm outside. Though he was handsome and seemed nice enough, I couldn't shake the feeling there something…different about him. I wondered what a student was doing out of school during lunch time. Most schools around the city didn't let kids go anywhere during the school day. His willowy figure came over again and he flashed a grin, his teeth beautifully white. He was less nervous looking, but just slightly less so. He did look more relaxed.

"Thank you," he smiled. I led him back in the men's section, the bath empty. I turned on the water for him and gave him some fluffy, clean towels. When I came back to the front, there was already a long line of people waiting to be taken care of.

I got home at seven, Jae having gotten home a while ago, his bike cramming up the doorway again. He was cooking a vegetable dish with a dipping sauce, meat just a little too expensive to buy right now. He greeted me with a large smile and a big hug.

"How was your day?" he asked. I smiled back, turning on the TV to some old soap opera. I took off my shoes and put on a pair of leggings under my dress. We kneeled at the coffee table and ate bread with the vegetables.

"It was busy today. Probably because it's getting hotter and people sweat more. I don't know," I shrugged.

"Probably," he answered. "How's Miss. Greene?"

"She's doing well...you know, the oddest character came in today," I said. He raised an eyebrow and demanded to know. He loved when I told stories about the people I saw at work. I told him about the glowing boy in the uniform and he laughed.

"Maybe you just thought you saw it," he told me as we began to clean up. We didn't leave any leftovers, so we washed the two plates, cups, and forks we had.

"Maybe," I thought. He braided my hair and I fell asleep quickly on the couch, my mind having to energy to wander.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Alice or anything like that. Hi! Please would you leave a review? I would appreciate it much if you did, really I would ^.^ Thank you very much! **

I woke up, the offbeat in my head feeling certainly stressed. The syncopation lasted while I got ready to go work at the bathhouse. I put on the white dress again, the coolness slipping around me. Jae was quiet today, and I wondered why. Usually, I couldn't get the guy to stop talking. He took a while to get up, which was unusual. He requested that I make him breakfast today, which I did. He picked at it, but then pushed it towards me.

"What's wrong?" I asked as we were going down the stairs. We had just reached outside, the spring time air smelling sweet. The sun was bright and you could smell the nearby lilac park starting to bloom. Children and parents were walking around, laughing. He looked up at me for the first time today.

"Oh, nothing much," he answered, shrugging. I looked more closely at him, but he wouldn't give anything away.

"Well, okay. Don't work too hard," I smiled. My heart broke when I saw that he couldn't even grin at me. He walked away, towards the docks, his shoulders slumping in defeat. I watched him until the crowd of people took him up completely. I walked my own way, sighing greatly. Today truly was a gorgeous day. I saw a vendor handing red balloons to children, a street artist sketching a picture of this boy holding his girlfriend's hand, and a man selling candies and sweet ice. The wind lifted my hair away from my warm neck and everything had the same charm as when you crawl into a bed with freshly washed sheets. I rounded the corner, the bathhouse there. I walked in, Miss. Greene handing me a fresh orchid and telling me I did a great job yesterday. I sat in the front again, the steam from the bath smelling like salt. Many people came today, wanting to use their weekends for a time to relax. We kept the door propped to allow the breeze. Hours faded into one another, time passing rather quickly. Suddenly, I had ten minutes until I could go. I thought about stopping and buying something to brighten the apartment on the way home. From the corner of my eye, I saw the glow. I looked up and there stood the boy from yesterday. He was looking down, his eyes averted.

"Hello," I said, keeping my manners.

"Hi, do I have time for a bath?" he asked, looking down and away. He was suddenly very shy and very soft. I groaned inside, not in the mood to wait here for him to finish. Miss. Greene walked out and said I could go home before helping the boy. I walked outside, the colors of sunset sinking. The oranges and soft pinks made me feel warm inside and I considered stopping just to watch them. I kept on walking until I got to the florists. He was an older man with a strong brow and a soft jaw line. He hardly spoke, so I never knew his name, but he made some of the most beautiful arrangements I've ever seen. I took a simple bouquet of yellow daisies and baby's breath. He gave me a smile before I left. The birds were singing twilight melodies, people would just now be sitting down for dinner with each other. I made another stop, the streets cobblestones hurting my feet today. I picked up some fresh tea, having just run out this morning. I got some that was a little more expensive, but it was Jae's favorite. I was just on my way home when, once again, I saw a glowing from the corner of my eye. I felt my face flush and a cold wind creep over my shoulders. The glowing boy was standing there at the intersection, waiting for traffic to pass. He checked his watch nervously and seemed to be in a hurry. I couldn't help but feel curiosity wrench inside of me. I checked my own watch and found I still had twenty minutes until I had to be home. I followed him as he walked across the street. He was nearly running and I was trotting to keep a safe distance behind him. I felt a little bit like a stalker, but I didn't really care. I was way too inquisitive for my own good. Even as a little girl, Jae said. He told me once that he remembered me sticking my hand in an ant pile after mom specifically told me not to. He said I cried for hours. I thought to myself, as I was following the glowing boy, would this be like sticking my hand into the ant pile?

Suddenly, he went down a flight of stairs. In all my years of living in the area, I had not once ever seen them. I shrugged and went down them too. He was already gone, but I could tell that he went through the door there. It was a short door, heart shaped, the red paint was chipping and the door looked a little dirty. I carefully put down my sweet daisies and my tea. The flowers looked up at me as if to warn me not to go.

"I'll only be a minute," I whispered. They still seemed to look at me disparagingly. "Oh really now!" I thought for a moment, my thoughts suddenly turning to the stars. They weren't even out yet; they weren't playing with mother moon quite yet. I still had time; Jae would have nothing to worry about. With that and a huge breath, I turned the brass knob. Suddenly, a great wall of white light hit me and I was instantly blinded. The last thing I could remember was the slam of the door somewhere behind me.

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